Method for charging furnaces



Marqh 24, 1925.

J. D. THOMAS METHOD FOR CHARGING FURNACES Fileii 'Jan. 11, 1921 2Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS Patented Mar.- 24, 1925.

UNITED-STATES v 1,530,919 PATENT OFFICE.-

J'A'Y DAVID THOMAS, OEIUEBLO, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SMEIITINGAND REFINING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

#1 METHOD non CHARGING FURNACES.

Application filed January 11, 1921. Serial 110. 436,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAY DAVID THoMAs, a citizen of the United States,and'resident of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods for Charging Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in the metallurgical art ofcharging metallurgical furnaces and like ore receiving receptacles, andmore specifically relates to an improved method for charging the retortsof zinc furnaces and to an improved form of instrumentality forefliciently practicing the method. r

' In the art of charging metallurgical furnaces it is necessary tohandle heavy and sometimes semi-plastic ores while they are in a moistcondltion. -Th1s character of ore is obviously difiicult .to me'asureand does not lend itself readily to any usual methods of controlling thecharge admitted to the furnace. For instance, any attempt to feed thisore in a continuous stream has proven impractical, ainong other reasons,due to the fact that the ore tends to choke up in the conductingpassageways and any device de pending" on the handling of a continuousstream of such material quickly becomes inoperative.

One of the objects of the present invention therefore, is to suggest asimple and readily actuated method for feeding a regulated charge-of oreof the character discussed, to the furnace or other receptacle and underconditions which will permit of regulation and control of the charge andwhich will eliminate the heretofore objectionable clogging of thefeeding machine.

I attain this phase of the invention by preforming the ore intorelatively small separated charges of approximately the same mass andconfiguration and which charges will hereinafter be identified as orebullets propelling medium, second, to provide aa steam cushion betweensucceeding charges as they pass from the discharging machine into th'urnace, and third, in .the act of condensing under the conditionspresent it provides both a lubricant to the moving ore bullets and,finally supplies the requisite moisture desirable in the charge incertain metallurgical operations.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in partobvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part willbe more fully set forth in the following particular description of. oneform of mechanism for carrying out my invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view largely diagrammatic showing in endelevation'a preferred embodiment of the invention disposed in positionto supply a battery of retorts in a zinc furnace shown in verticalsection;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation'of the device shown in Figure 1looking at the same from the right hand side;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail vertical viewtaken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 2 and Figure 4 is an enlarged view in side elevation of the feedwheel shown in axial section in Figure 3.

Referring tov Figure 1 there is shown a zinc furnace A, provided with abattery of retorts B designed to be supplied with ore from the machine.The machine is carried on a car 10 mounted on tracks 11 which extendlengthwise of the zine furnace so as to be in proper position oppositethe different retorts to supply the same. The car 10 is provided withtransversely disposed tracks 12 on which is mounted a carriage 13 forsupporting-the different mechanical parts of the machine. The ore chargeis supplied to an ore hopper 14, the discharge from which is regulatedby gates 15. The hopper discharges into a throat 16 of a single screwprovided .with a plurality of pockets 21 circumferentially spaced apartand providing. teeth 22 therebetween which constilli . steam through thesteam opening tute valves for intercepting the flow of gun 23. This gunincludes a straight bore formed in the lower portion of the chargingmachine and in an ore pipe 24 which extends therefrom and beyond theoutlines of the machine as shown in Figure 1. It is understood that theconfiguration of the pockets 21, the size and speed of rotation of thefeed wheel controls the size of the ore bullets and the rate at whichthey are fed to the steam gun and also controls the rate at which theformed bullets are fed to the furnace.

A source of high pressure steam supply, indicated symbolically by the.steam pipe 25, leads into the charging machinein alignment with the borein the ore pipe 24L and the steam pressure acting through the gun iscontrolled by any suitable-means such as by the manually actuated valve26.

Power is supplied to the apparatus by means of an electric motor 27connected to a counter shaft 28 through a chain drive 29, and throughthe chain drive 30 countershaft 28 drives the shaft 31 throu h gear 32.The screw-feeder 17 is coupled to-the shaft 31' by means of a chaindrive 38, and the parts as -sogeared together and proportioned that allof .the pockets of the feed wheel will be filled completely with. orefrom the screw feed as each pocket in successio'n is brought intoposition beneath the 1-8. The discharge end 34 of'the ore pipe roje'ctsa material distance from the mac ine so as to be advanced into the zincfurnace as shown in ghost lines in Figure The ore pipe is providedadjacent its discharge endwith a water pipe 35 by means of which theproper amount of moisture may be added to the charge just before the orebullets are ejected from the steam gun.

' In operation and assuming that the hopper-14 is charged with ore andthat the gates 15 are regulated .to supply the requisite amount of .oreto the screw conveyor, the machine is. set in motion. The ore isconveyed by the screw from the right to left of .the showingin Figure 1,and is deposited as shown by the arrows in Figure 3 into each of thesucceeding pockets 21 as they come uppermost in-the charging machine.The ore will. be packed into the feed wheel with a pressure dependingupon the rate of speed of the conveyor and the ore bullets formed in thecompartment are carried downwardly with the rotation of the runner andsuccessively positioned in the steam gun in advance of the discharge endof the steam inlet 26. The steam pressure from the pipe 25 acts on eachsucceeding bullet, forces the same along the ore pipeand discharges thesame into one of the retorts B. After a bullet has been discharged fromthe revolving wheel the next succeeding tooth 22 moves across thedischarge end of the steam inlet thus momentarily shutting ofi the steamsupply from the gun.

discharge end of the steam pipe which accumulated pressure isimmediately and conveniently available to exert its propelling eflect onthe next bullet brought into position into the gun by the rotatingwheel. The action is repeated, it being understood that each bulletfollows the preceding bullet in rapid succession simulating the actionof a rapid firing machine gun. Each bullet j is separated from thesucceeding bullet in the ore pipe by a charge of steam under highpressure. The steam not only acts as -the propelling medium but acts tolubricate the interior of the bore of the ore pipe and provides a layerof steam between the.

moving ore bullets and the inner wall of i the ore pipe. -As the orecharges pass the discharge end of the water pipe 35 they are suppliedwith the requisite amount of water. It will be understood that theaction of the cold ore, either with or; without the addition of thewater supplied.

. It is readily appreciated that by a. suitable control of the speed ofthe motor 27 and of the open position of the valve 26, an accuratecontrol is provided for regulating the rapidity with which the chargesare fed to the retort and the steam pressure can be so regulated as toeffect a clearing ofthe ore' pipe economically and without the use ofunnecessaril high pressures. J

"By means 0 the method disclosed it has been found possible to providean accurately controlled supply'for feeding zinc furnaces and likemetallurgical receptacles, clogging has been eliminated and'the propercontrol of the moisture element is rovided.

While I have shown and. described and have pointed out in the annexedclaims certain novel features of my invention, it will be' understoodthat various omissions, substitutions and changes in the process and inits operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

Having thus. described my invention, I claim: v

1. In the art of chargin zinc retorts with moist ore, the method which-consists in feeding a continuous stream of measured and separatedbullets of zinc-containing-ore to p the retorts, and with the spaces inthe stream between the spaced bullets filled with steam under pressuretherebyto form steam cush- This action causes. the steam momentarily tobuild upits pressure at the.

2. In the art of charging zinc retorts with in forming a stream of coldbullets of zinc- 5 moist ore, the method which consists infeeding acontinuous stream of preformed separated bullets of zinc-containing-oreto the retorts, and with the spaces in the stream between the spacedbullets filled withsteam under pressure thereby to form steam cushionsfor keeping the bullets separated and introducing water to the bulletstream.

3. In the. art of charging zinc retorts with moist ore, the method whichconsists in forming a stream of cold bullets of zinccontaining ore eachbullet having approximately the same mass subjecting the bullets of thestream successively to the propelling influence of a jet of steam in adirection containing ore exteriorlfy of the retort, subjecting thebullets o the stream successively to the propelling influence of a jetof steam continually applied to-the succeeding bullets in a direction topropel the bullets in a steam actuated stream into the retorts, andpermitting said cold ore to condense the steam in engagement therewithin the retort thereby to prevent the formation of back pressures on theore bullets and causing the resulting vapor to escape from the retortswithout appreciable pressure.

5. In the art of charging zinc retorts the method which consists inabstracting rom a stream of the ore to be fed to the retort,

to propel the bullets in a steam actuated a measured amount to form acompact bullet, and blowing said bullet as a single unit stream into theretorts, and permitting said cold ore to condense the steam inengagement therewith in the retort thereby to prevent the formation ofback pressures on the ore bullets.

4. In the art of charging zinc retorts with moist ore, the method whichconsists into the retort.

Signed at Pueblo in the county of Pueblo JAY DAVID THOMAS.

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